1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to devices for catching crabs or the like while crabbing with a baited line.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Crabs are generally caught with either traps, dredges, or baited lines.
Traps are devices, usually baited cages with doors, which are left on the bottom of a body of water where crabs live. Crabs crawl into the cage after the bait, are trapped, and then are hauled up at leisure by means of a rope. In some designs, the trap is sprung by the act of hauling up the trap.
There are numerous patents on crab traps. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,939,597 of McSherry; 4,765,088 of Stuart; 4,134,226 of Petrella; 4,587,758 of Ponzo; 4,530,182 of Ponzo; 4,654,997 of Ponzo; 4,554,760 of Ponzo; and 3,828,461 of Roberts all show various bottom traps with automatically opening or closing doors.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,406,083 of Hart discloses a spread net which folds over a crab.
Wyman, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,184,283, and Sjolund, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,221,071, teach crab traps with one-way doorways through which crabs can enter but not leave.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 247,677 of Bockhorn apparently shows a dredge. Such dredges are dragged along the bottom, and the crabs are later separated from the muck and vegetation thus raised.
Rea, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,800,465, shows a mesh basket with an open end or mouth. The basket is made of flexible material which is rigid enough to remain open while on the bottom, but flexible enough that the open mouth may be closed by bending the mesh sides adjacent the opening. (Chicken wire is preferred). A rope is used to drag the basket along the bottom and also to pull it to the surface. The rope is arranged to close the mouth upon raising the basket.
None of the above patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the present invention as claimed.
The remaining method of crabbing, by baited line, is traditionally practiced from a boat with a hand net mounted at the end of a pole (resembling a butterfly net). The baited line has bait tied to it at intervals of about 6 feet. The line is slowly raised from the water and crabs which are still feeding on the bait as the line nears the surface are caught with the net, hoisted on board, and put into a container aboard the boat. The crabs sometimes escape with this method, because they release their grip on the bait and the line when they approach the water surface. Thus the net may miss them, especially if the water is murky.
The above technique is sometimes called "dipping" for crabs.
The line used is typically quarter-inch braided nylon, which is often traditionally referred to as "trot line". The bait is salted eel, bull lips, chicken wings, or other inexpensive foods which can be tied to the line and which appeal to crabs.
The line is anchored at both ends and a buoy is attached near the anchored point. The crabber then moves his or her boat from one buoy to the other, collecting crabs along the way.
The baited line has several advantages over traps. The bait is spread easily over a large area with lines; the lines may be 2000 feet or longer from end to end, and crabs will come to the line from some distance on either side. To cover an equivalent area is difficult to do with traps. Traps are heavy and bulky and only a limited number can be stored on a boat. In addition, a line is less expensive than the equivalent number of traps.
The great disadvantage of the baited line has been that the crabs must be individually "dipped" with an awkward net, and laboriously transferred to a container. This requires two hands, which means that other duties, such as steering the boat, must be neglected by the person gathering the crabs. Moreover, this method of crabbing is difficult in rough water. It is also very difficult at night; or when the water is murky, and the crabs are not visible until the last instant before breaking the surface. Thus, there has been a need for an improved method of removing crabs from a baited line.